'Superman' cover art attracts record bid

Fred Ray's cover illustration for Superman #14 has attracted a record bid at a US auction, but failed to meet its reserve.

According to Bleeding Cool, the highest bid of $402,111 (£258,108) would have set a new record for American comic book art if the piece had sold.

The iconic artwork - which depicts the Man of Steel with an eagle perched on his arm - was salvaged by Batman illustrator Jerry Robinson in 1942. Robinson's cover design for Detective Comics #69 also failed to meet its reserve at the event.

Auctioneers Comic Connect made headlines earlier this year, selling a copy of Action Comics #1 for a record-breaking $1.5 million (£995,000).

The current record for US comic art is the $380,000 (£243,391) paid for Frank Frazetta's cover of Weird Science-Fantasy #29 in a private transaction in June.